Always Complicated
by DPAK
Summary: Their’s is not a typical friendship. Drabbles about Dan and Rorschach in the early days of their partnership.


_Author's Notes: I like writing ficlets/drabbles/whatever you wish to call them. These are just a few of them that popped into my head over the past couple of nights. I'm still plotting out a longer fic, though._

* * *

Hands stuffed into his pockets, Rorschach turned to walk away. Nite Owl placed a hand on the shorter vigilante's shoulder. Rorschach paused, the pattern on his mask swirling into yet another indistinguishable shape.

Not this again.

It was the same thing every night, a tiresome dance Nite Owl seemed to enjoy initiating despite the results. After a long night of taking out peons of the criminal underground for clues to find the crime lords, they would climb into Archie and discuss their next moves as the ship soared through the pink-purple sky of early dawn. The ship would dock in Nite Owl's underground bunker and Rorschach would turn his collar up, prepared to stalk out. At that point, Nite Owl would make a vain attempt to prevent him from leaving.

"Come on, Rorschach. We're partners." There was something in his tone that was both pleading and curious, but never demanding. "We should get to know each other better."

"Can't. Have business to attend to." His voice was distant and cold, leaving no room for debate.

"Oh. Well." A sigh. Disappointment. "Maybe tomorrow then?"

He already knew the answer.

"Not likely."

***

Archie hummed through the air, gracefully gliding between buildings. Nite Owl fidgeted with the controls, casting a sideways glance at his partner. Rorschach had his hand folded on his lap, staring ahead, tense as ever. They had been working together for over a month now and things were still uncomfortable between them. Rorschach barely spoke to him between brawls, never let down any of his walls, never showed any type of emotion- not even a hint.

He cleared his throat. "Daniel."

"Hrm?"

"My name is Daniel."

"Didn't ask for your name."

Silence hung over them, awkward and tense. Dan wanted to ask, but he knew better. Knew that Rorschach wouldn't tell him. The question hung silently in the air. He fidgeted again; a quick glance to his right, then forward again. Rorschach hadn't moved aside from the slight rise and fall of his chest to show he was still alive.

***

It was quiet again, as usual, and painfully so. The only noise in the cabin was the whir of the engine and the click of the controls as Dan monitored their altitude and direction. It was because of the intense silence that he caught the light gurgling of his partner's stomach. He could barely contain his smile; it seemed Rorschach was human after all.

"Hungry?" His tone was light, a hint of playfulness. "I have leftovers in my fridge."

He could feel Rorschach's eyes on him, studying him, even if he couldn't see them below that constantly moving mask. He piloted the owlship past the normal drop-off point, his smile remaining as he garnered no complaint from Rorschach.

***

"What is it?" Rorschach looked down at the oddly-shaped package in his hand. It was wrapped carefully in brown paper, clear tape holding it together; his name was scrawled on the side in black marker.

"It's a gift." A faint smile.

Rorschach raised his head. Dan could feel him staring at him as the black splotches formed a shape that, he assumed, revealed confusion.

"Open it."

Carefully, cautiously, Rorschach peeled back the paper, trying not the rip the paper. His hands were shaking slightly; he didn't know why. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he had received a gift; the first time he had someone who cared enough to give him something; the first time he had someone he could genuinely call a friend. Getting frustrated with all the tape binding it, he frowned beneath the mask and began to tear into the paper- though he was still careful not to rip his name, he wanted to stash that portion of the package away as proof someone did think of him.

Dan found himself amused at the way Rorschach opened the package, the sound of gentle crinkling gradually being replaced by violent rips. He cleared his throat as Rorschach came close to having the present fully unwrapped. "I thought you'd like having one. And it's… well, it's been a year since we partnered up…"

Rorschach barely registered the words slipping past Dan's lips; his focus was entirely on the grappling hook in his hands. Gloved fingers traced over the sleek metal surface; his lips curled up slightly into an unfamiliar expression under the mask. It was one of the few times in his life he found a reason to smile.

"Thank you, Daniel. Will put it to good use."


End file.
